The Mists of Avalon the Women Behind King Arthur

The Mists of Avalon: The Women Behind King Arthur Kate Wrigley period 3 The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is not only an example of a Medieval Romance, but also tells the story of the women who stood behind King Arthur during his infamous reign in the Middle Ages. This novel explains the reasoning and decisions that Arthur made in the womens perspective. The Mists of Avalon is a twist on the Arthurian tales as told by the four women instrumental to the story: Gwenhwyfar, his wife; Igraine, his mother; Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, High Priestess of Avalon; and his sister and lover, heiress to Avalon, Morgaine. The story is told by each, as they saw it happen. The struggle between Christianity and the religion of†¦show more content†¦In the beliefs of Avalon, the Goddess was not male as God was believed to be, and the followers of the Goddess believed that the women were good and should be the leaders of the lands. In the Christian beliefs there were priests, and in the Avalon beliefs, there were priestesses. The males were, obviously, the priests, as the females were priestesses. Even though the believers in Avalon thought well of the Christians, the Christians despised the people from Avalon and thought of them as evil. Viviane, the High Priestess of Avalon (can be compared to the Bishop, who is male), also Arthurs grandmother, thought the reason Arthur came to be king was because of the people of Avalon. She believes that the reason he has lived through as many battles as he has, and because he remains king was because of the magic of Avalon. the Christians, however, feel that it was by the faith of God that Arthur has reigned so long with only minor injuries in his battles. Viviane, as well as Morgaine when she becomes a priestess, think that it was because of the women that Arthur remained so strong. In typical Arthurian legends, only the Christian male beliefs were talked about, because the women were not important. In the old Avalon ways, the heir of the throne was given to the sisters first born son. In the Christian ways, the rights were given to the fathers first born son. Once again, in the old Arthurian legends, the ways of Avalon were notShow MoreRelated The Mists Of Avalon: The Women Behind King Arthur Essay1656 Words   |  7 Pages The Mists of Avalon: The Women Behind King Arthur nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is not only an example of a Medieval Romance, but also tells the story of the women who stood behind King Arthur during his infamous reign in the Middle Ages. This novel explains the reasoning and decisions that Arthur made in the womens perspective. 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